This comes up quite a lot in my Q&A’s on social media. There are so many of you that may have bought a designer gown, worn it once and now want to claw back a little money versus some who changed their mind and have a brand new wedding dress still with labels.
I was in this boat many years ago I bought my first dress in the US which meant there was no returning once I landed back in Ireland. I tried all of the main guys from Donedeal to Adverts and it was actually through Timeless Bridal that it actually sold. This meant that I was able to cover off the cost of my second dress (phew!). When I tried selling through Donedeal, I had great interest and to note, I had to manage people wanting to come and try the dress on….I got my first taste of what it’s like to have a bridal boutique…..I found it so frustrating having to give up an hour for each bride to be to come to y house to try on and faff about. It wasn’t for me and nor was I kitted out for it.
Luckily now, there are a good few options for you to sell your dress but don’t expect overnight success. In the last few years there is now more and more opting to sell their dress along with post Covid non-worn dresses that are brand new and heavily discounted. It’s a process. BUT, there are so many more options to help you sell your dress without the hassle of having to host people at your home! Also, important to note that you probably need to try a few different methods until you find the right outlet for you. I know many list their dresses across many sites rather than put all eggs in one basket.
Options For Selling Your Wedding Dress:
- Timeless Bridalwear: This is where I sold my dress. Located in Trim, CO. Meath, they take only unworn, brand new gowns with tags. They work off a commission so when your dress sells, they take their part for their hard work selling and you get your part. This was a huge saviour to me as I didn’t have time for all of the enquiries and try ons. It was sold within a year and being realistic, it does take a a good year to sell for some.
- DoneDeal / Adverts: One of the largest places to buy and sell. It doesn’t cost a lot to list but if you want the dress to get a good volume of views, then you may need to boost it’s presence using ‘Spotlight’ which will pin it to the top for searches.
- Sell My Wedding Dress: This is a dedicated platform which is 100% focused on the selling of wedding dresses. Located in Galway, this online platform for the right tools to get your dress seen and sold. You can sell your dress, accessories as well as bridesmaids. There are a range of prices depending on what you sell but it’s roughly €25 to do the general listing and €35 for a premium.
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Sell My Wedding Dress Listing
- Facebook Marketplace: This is probably one of the biggest volumes of views and Facebook proactively serve listings if they know a user is in the market for a wedding. It’s very cheap to list but you will get a mix of all sorts of enquiries. I sold a lot of my baby and house hold items through this and it outperformed Donedeal. Wedding decor does really well here too.
- Discount Designer.ie: Based in Dublin, this online platform has a good selection of designer gowns. You can also visit the store if you are buying. If you had a top designer gown, this is a good option. A more expensive option but a more qualified audience. A basic listing starts at €50 and can go up to €150 for a whole year.
Discount Designer Ireland Listing
- Rosemantique: This boutique is based in Lismore. They specialise in samples and brand new with tags. To find out if your dress can be sold through their boutique, you just need to send them an enquiry.
- Stillwhite.com: Probably the largest global site for selling a wedding dress and opens up to the whole world. There is a good volume of Irish brides selling and boutiques can list some of their dresses on it too. You pay a one time fee of €20 for a standard listing and €30 for a premium.
- Weddalia: Cheap and cheerful, you can list for all eternity for just under €15. They are global but have a good Irish presence.
- Ebay: When in doubt, check Ebay! The worlds top second hand clothing online auction place. Here, you can offer a buy now price versus and auction where you can let people bid against each other. Very cheap to list and you have access to the whole globe so not limited to Ireland as a market. Just make sure you get your dress in it’s packaging weighed and priced in the post office as so many under estimate the cost of shipping.
- DePop: Mostly known for selling general clothing and occasion wear, it also can host the sale of wedding dresses. Now, it is not as clean cut as other sites as it merges weddings dresses with guest wear but if you already have an account, it’s a simple addition and cheap to do.
- HIGM Buy & Sell (Facebook Group): A fantastic group for all things wedding and yes you can list your dress there. Works the same as Facebook Marketplace but focused on selling pre loved below the market asking price.
- Rebride: New to the market and set up by a bride struggling to sell her own designer wedding gown, Rebride connects previous brides with future brides.
If all else fails and you can’t sell or if you want to do good, you could donate your dress. Here are a few options:
- Barnardos Bridal Rooms: They only take brand new designer with tags.
- Oxfam: Will take worn
- St Vincent de Paul: Will take worn
- Focus Ireland: Will take worn
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